


i wish, i wish my nine lives would be with you

by saunatonttu



Series: animal shelters and shy love [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Animal Shelter, Alternate Universe - University, M/M, Mentions of Anxiety, lev has a big Gay Crush on tsukki in the beginning, mentions of kenhina, onesided yakulev on the side
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-17
Updated: 2015-04-17
Packaged: 2018-03-23 09:56:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3763810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saunatonttu/pseuds/saunatonttu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Has Tsukishima-kun come in today, by the way?” Yaku called, turning to look at Tetsurou again. “You’ve been oddly sullen all day, so I guess not.”</p><p>Tetsurou nearly choked on his own tongue as he burst into laughter. “Me? Sullen?”</p><p>“You call me stubborn, but you’re deep in denial, Kuroo.”</p><p> </p><p>[or: the animal shelter AU no one needed or asked for.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	i wish, i wish my nine lives would be with you

Tetsurou’s first impression of the guy hadn’t been anything remarkable for him to remember later on: he was just another visitor checking out the animals, possibly pondering whether to take one home or not. He’d been busy feeding the small kittens they had just taken in earlier that day, anyhow, so it was only natural that he wouldn’t take much of a notice of a blond university student with slumped shoulders and glasses askew on his nose.

A fleeting thought of _I hope he doesn’t take my baby_ passed Tetsurou’s mind, but otherwise he didn’t cast another thought to the other.

It was only later, long after the university student had left that Tetsurou was forced to acknowledge that he had been there, mostly because Lev kept gushing over how cute he had been.

“Seriously, dude,” Lev sighed wistfully as Tetsurou zipped his jacket up, finally finished for the day, “that blond was _gorgeous._ ”

“Yeah?” Tetsurou hummed, giving a half-hearted grin at Lev’s nonsensical rambling. “Platinum blond? Blue eyes? Rosy lips?” Alright, his tone may have been a little teasing and irritated at the end, if only because he was worried over the youngest baby in his care – _Morisuke,_ he had named the orange-spotted kitten after one of their other coworkers.

“No, no,” Lev huffed, “but he’d have _rocked_ blue eyes, too. He has these real nice brown eyes… kinda light brown? Maybe honey is the right word for the color.”

“Nice,” Tetsurou said as he suppressed a yawn. “Go for it, dude.” Pause. “Did he get one of the dogs? The kitties are all still here.”

“Nah,” Lev said, shrugging his shoulders. “He was with the cats that were out.”

Tetsurou blinked. “A cat person, huh.” Not a total douchebag (yes, he could sense this), and a pretty one according to Lev… but Lev’s tastes had always been on the questionable side on Tetsurou’s scale. Even if Lev’s description of the mysterious brown eyes had sounded alright.

“Totally,” Lev grinned, his energy picking up at Tetsurou’s interest.

“Did you get his number?” Tetsurou asked, lips curling knowingly as they left the animal shelter with a goodbye to Yaku and Tora.

“Well,” Lev’s grin faltered, and Tetsurou’s smirk widened. He fucking knew it.

“You didn’t.”

“Well--!” Lev started defensively, voice turning high-pitched as he grew agitated and made obscure gesticulations with his hands that only proceeded to make Tetsurou laugh louder. “Well, I kinda got distracted by his smile,” Lev huffed rather childishly, arms crossing his chest in a defiant protest. “It was kind of… stunning? I don’t know, man.”

“Amazing description,” Tetsurou teased with a mocking laughter, gently elbowing Lev. “What are the chances of you ever seeing him again?”

“…There’s always hope!” Lev insisted in a shaky huff. “Maybe he’ll come around again!”

“Pfft,” Tetsurou snickered. “Good luck with willing the Wonder Boy to come around again.”

“If you had paid any attention, Kuroo-san,” Lev protested, “you’d be _smitten_.”

Tetsurou smiled benevolently. “Sure, sure. Whatever you say, Lev.”

.

.

.

Regardless, it just so happened that he saw the short-cropped blond hair he assumed to belong to Lev’s target the following week. Tetsurou wasn’t _too_ intent on knowing what the hell he was doing there, though; many people liked to consider their options before checking the pricey pet shops in the city center – some took a few visits before taking one home.

Ridiculously attached to cats as he was, Tetsurou hoped that the guy wouldn’t take any of _his_ kitties. He’d rather them go to a loving home, one that he himself knew. Maybe Kenma would take two if he ever got his childhood friend convinced that cats were _pure perfect fluffy balls of happiness._   Or Sawamura and Sugawara – though they already had three very happy cats of their own.

Anyway, it was just as Lev had said -- the blond short-cropped hair was the brightest blond Tetsurou had seen in a while, and it was certainly attractive in itself. (Well, Lev probably hadn’t gushed over the hair so much, but _hot damn._ ) The paleness of the bright color gave off an almost angelic aura, and Tetsurou gave a contemplative look at the back of the head he saw disappear off towards the yard they kept the large outdoor cages at.

Tetsurou didn’t pay much attention after that, since he was feeding his kittens – though most of them weren’t even kittens and were simply abandoned cats that had been taken in. And technically they weren’t _his_ ; he just happened to be the one to feed them the most and otherwise care for them.

“Lev, Leeev,” Tetsurou whispered softly, trying to coax the shy soft gray-furred feline to step closer to the front of his cage as he settled the plate of water and another one with food down. “Come here, boy, it’s fresh food.”

“Huh?”

“Talking to the cat.”

“You gotta stop doing that, Kuroo-san. It’s really creeping me out.”

Tetsurou laughed just as the long-limbed Lev cat sniffed and approached the offerings carefully, more apprehensive than the one he was named after.

“By the way, I think your Wonder Boy came,” Tetsurou hummed, scratching the cat’s ear when he allowed Tetsurou to. “I saw him slink towards the yard.”

“…!” Lev’s response was to drop whatever plate he had been holding, shattering the thing in pieces when it hit the floor. “…Shit.”

Tetsurou couldn’t help smirking, even though the loud sound scared the shit out of the cuter Lev. “It must be true love if you’re stumbling like that just from hearing that he’s here,” he mocked his coworker as he closed the cage with an audible clink. “There, there, Lev,” he turned to coo at the cat, “you’ll be alright. Your idiot human just messed up a little.”

“Kuroo-san!” Lev huffed as he went to clean the broken plate up before, god forbid, Yaku found out. Yaku had always been rather stern with Lev; Kuroo shook his head when he thought back to the last time he has talked with Yaku about _his_ hopeless crush on Lev.

So much drama, so little time.

.

.

.

A couple of days passed before the Blond Wonder came by again, and this time Tetsurou was feeding the cats in the outdoor cage and trying to coax Kenma, one of his most favourite kittens in existence, to come close for some overdue petting.

“Kenmaaa,” he whined, “Kenma, stop ignoring me.” He thought about the human version for a moment, his lips twitching. The cat and the human versions were both masters at the game called ignoring the best friend they ever had.

The kitten, small and wobbling on his legs, ignored him, and Tetsurou hung his head. Damn.

He only vaguely registered the presence beside him, at first thinking it was one of his coworkers, like Yaku or Inuoka (though Inuoka was more of a dog person, much to Tetsurou’s amusement).

“May I…?” Tetsurou blinked at the foreign voice he hadn’t heard before and turned his head just enough to see the side of the Blond Wonder’s face. The pale skin looked even paler under the grey light of the cloudy day, but that didn’t make the sight any less worth seeing, Tetsurou had to admit.

“…may you what?” Tetsurou flashed one of his usual grins at the young man beside him, the teasing tone effortless even as his heart clenched at the sight of the aesthetically pleasing cheekbones and facial structure in general.

And that angel-gold hair.

Tetsurou’s heart might have gone a little overboard with its beats. _Doki doki, asshole,_ it seemed to tell him. _Payback time for teasing Lev._

The actual angel in disguise turned his head and frowned at Tetsurou, whose internal struggling calmed down enough for him to take note of the light honey-brown eyes and the dark bags under them.

“May I pet few cats,” the Blond Wonder muttered, shifting the legs he was crouching on, the lines of displeasure around his mouth deepening. _Asshole_ went unsaid, but Tetsurou knew it was there, and he grinned wider.

“’Course you can!” he scooted over to give the other some room to reach into the cage to pick a cat up. “Most of them really like it, but not Kenma – Kenma’s little shy around strangers.”

“Around familiar people too, it seems,” the Blond Wonder said, his lips in faint smirk as Tetsurou pouted.

“Kenma loves me, okay? He just has his bad days.”

“Whatever you say.”

Tetsurou sighed at the clearly disbelieving and uncaring tone, helping one of the older kittens into the blond’s (who was probably taller than Tetsurou, if a glance at his legs revealed anything) expectant hands.

“You’ve been here before a few times apparently,” Tetsurou hummed as he watched the brown-dotted kitten lean settle into the blondie’s hold, meowing quite loudly in appreciation when a thumb began stroking its furred back. “Ready to pick a kitten yet, blondie?”

“Don’t call me that,” the blond huffed with an exasperated roll his eyes, sighing wearily afterwards, shoulders slumping as the heavy exhale left his mouth. “And I’m not really looking for a pet.”

“What _should_ I call you?” Tetsurou’s lips curled in amusement as he leaned in to pet the kitten in the other’s hold. “Oh? So you’re just a friendly neighbourhood cat snuggler, then.”

The Blond Wonder – okay, maybe ‘angel’ was more flattering, but Tetsurou liked this one too – focused on petting the kitten, a look of timid marvel on his face.

 _God, he likes cats and is super pretty,_ Tetsurou thought to himself. _I would like to thank not only God and Jesus, but also every single one of my life choices that have led me here today._ He wasn’t Christian, but that was a moot point. _Thank you, Ra, Zeus, everyone else._

“Tsukishima,” the blond said curtly, the frown on his was deepening but softening again when the kitten in his hands meowed again – or, to be more precise, let out a soft squeaking sound that was absolutely adorable in small amounts. Tsukishima’s lips curled into a contemplative smile Tetsurou was sure wasn’t intentional. “And I’m _not_ some snuggler, just—“

“Sure you’re not, Tsukishima-kun,” Tetsurou teased, smirking at the affronted look that crossed Tsukishima’s face. “Anyway – I’m Kuroo, Kuroo Tetsurou. Nice to meetcha, Tsukishima-kun.”

”…Ripping off James Bond, I see.”

“With my looks, who can blame me?”

Tsukishima didn’t deign that with an answer and focused on showering the kitten with timid affection that seemed slightly awkward around the edges.

 _Guess he’s not a people person, huh,_ Tetsurou mulled when Tsukishima shifted so that their knees wouldn’t bump into each other. _Or touchy feely kind of person, at least._

.

.

.

Tsukishima came by at least once a week, sometimes even more often, and Tetsurou genuinely looked forward to those times. They didn’t always talk – Tetsurou talked plenty with Lev, Yaku and the rest of them anyway to make up for it – and that was alright. Silence suited them both just fine, because Tetsurou wasn’t going to force small talk and Tsukishima seemed withdrawn and downhearted.

Tetsurou found out that Tsukishima smiled his prettiest smiles only at cats and kittens, and while that bummed him out, Tetsurou found it adorable.

He wasn’t jealous of his kittens, not at all.

(Lev totally was once he found out both about Tetsurou hanging out with the Wonder Blond and witnessing The Smile firsthand.)

In fact, Tetsurou was thankful for the kittens and how fond they had become of Tsukishima’s presence. Likewise, Tsukishima’s fondness for the small, furry animals was absolutely endearing, even though he’d always give Tetsurou this _say a word and I’m gone_ type of look when Tetsurou dared to snicker.

The silence was good after Tetsurou had given up on trying to discover things about Tsukishima by force (asking questions, and Tsukshima never replying to them). Partly because Tsukishima responded badly (not at all) to Tetsurou’s curiosities, and partly because Tetsurou occasionally thought he saw an anxious flicker in the brown eyes when they glanced at him. It was hidden behind all the tired crankiness Tsukishima seemed to have an endless amount of, but it was _there_.

For all his blunders, Tetsurou was still good at reading people.

And he definitely knew what the signs were when someone didn’t want to talk due to whatever burden they carried on their shoulders.

.

.

.

“I can’t believe you, Kuroo-san,” Lev sounded vaguely upset when he cleaned his namesake’s cage while Kuroo played with the cat. “You’re totally stealing Tsukishima-kun away from me.”

“You never called the dibs on his friendship,” Tetsurou snickered as he waved a string before the tomcat, pulling it back when the cat was about to lunge at it. “Besides, you have no tact.”

“Hey…” Lev whined as he turned to look at Tetsurou, a frown between his thin eyebrows. “I’m not _that_ bad.”

“You’re even worse, to be honest,” Yaku quipped as he stepped back inside, unzipping the red jersey he wore for work. “Oblivious to other people’s feelings and overly blunt are just the tip of the iceberg.”

Tetsurou glanced up, brow wrinkling at the worn-out look he saw flickering on Yaku’s face.

Yaku noticed the glance and shook his head slightly.

Tetsurou suppressed a sigh, at which Yaku made a face.

“Yaku-saaaaaaan, I thought you would be on my side for sure!” Lev sounded too much like a kicked puppy for Yaku to remain entirely unaffected, and Tetsurou watched with amusement at the way Yaku’s expression softened. It was just the subtlest change, one that Lev wouldn’t pick up on while he was ranting about how betrayed he felt by it all.

“Oh, just chill already, Lev,” Yaku sighed as he ran a hand through his short-cut hair. “Tsukishima-kun just likes him better than he likes you, that’s all.”

“My heart. You just broke my heart, Yaku-san.”

“Just get back to work already, asshole!”

 _Hopeless idiots,_ Tetsurou thought fondly as he picked Lev up and went to put him back to the cage. “You’ll get out soon,” he promised, and Lev purred happily as though answering him.

“Has Tsukishima-kun come in today, by the way?” Yaku called, turning to look at Tetsurou again. “You’ve been oddly sullen all day, so I guess not.”

Tetsurou nearly choked on his own tongue as he burst into laughter. “Me? _Sullen?_ ”

“You call me stubborn, but you’re deep in denial, Kuroo.”

Tetsurou shook his head while standing up, scrunching up his nose when the smell of cat vomit finally registered. “I never said I didn’t have a crush on him. But I’m not _sullen_ over not seeing him, god, for four days and fifteen hours.”

“You have it _bad_.”

Tetsurou grimaced. “Like you don’t,” he murmured, pointedly glancing at Lev. Yaky heaved out a sigh, this time a weary one rather than huffy.

“Point taken.”

.

.

.

The next time Tsukishima came was on a rainy day, and the blond looked miserable in his soaked clothes. Tetsurou had just been about to leave – having had an early shift for once – but the sight of the blond standing at the entrance in dripping wet clothes made him halt.

“Holy shit, it’s been raining all day and you didn’t have an umbrella with you?” were the first words Tetsurou said to Tsukishima instead of his usual greeting (a playful grin and ‘do you come here often’ accompanied by a waggle of his brows).

“It wasn’t raining when I left my apartment,” Tsukishima said quietly, trying to appear as nonchalant and uncaring as he always tried to be. (But Tetsurou knew better.) Tsukishima was shivering, though, and his eyes looked bleak behind the lenses of his glasses, which were watery and a little fogged up.

All in all, Tsukishima was a sorry sight to witness, and Tetsurou felt his chest tighten in concern. “Take off your jacket and shirt; I’ll lend you my jersey,” he said, tugging Tsukishima with him towards the backroom where he and his coworkers usually had their coffee breaks. “I’ll make you some coffee or hot chocolate, if you want.”

Tsukishima nodded feebly and followed along, his hand wet and clammy in Tetsurou’s. It wasn’t necessary to hold his hand, but… Tetsurou had acted instinctively, and possibly very selfishly considering Tsukishima’s subdued behavior.

“Are you alright?” Tetsurou asked him when he unzipped his jersey as Tsukishima took off his wet jacket and shirt. Tetsurou was not staring at Tsukishima’s arms nor at the pale color of his skin. He was not trying to memorize any of that. “You seem,” Tetsurou tore his gaze away as he threw his jersey to Tsukishima, who caught it with stiff fingers, “really out of it today.”

Tsukishima shrugged his shoulders before attempting to tug the jersey on. Tetsurou watched him slip his long arms into the red sleeves that still hung a little loose when Tsukishima finally pulled the zipper up.

“It’s been a bad day. I suppose an idiot like you never has those,” Tsukishima said, but there was no real bite to his voice as he played with the ends of the bright red sleeves.

Sometimes Tsukishima (or Tsukki, as Tetsurou affectionately called him in his head) tried too hard to rile him up.

“Chill, Tsukki,” he laughed. Well, so much for keeping the nickname only as an internal one. “I know how rough those can be. Wait a sec.” He hummed as he turned to the vending machine after getting a plastic cup from the cupboard. It didn’t take long until he had two cups of steaming hot chocolate in his hands, and he set one of them in front of Tsukishima’s hands.

“What did you call me?” Tsukishima chose to ask now, brown eyes peering at Tetsurou pensively if not a little apprehensively, apparently too tired to cover them up with faked irritation.

“Tsukki,” Tetsurou smiled as he took a sip from the cup, plopping down to the seat across from Tsukishima’s. “It’s cute, isn’t it? Fits you perfectly.” He couldn’t stop himself from winking at Tsukishima’s blank face.

When Tsukishima simply stared at him with unseeing eyes, Tetsurou faltered. “I… If you don’t like it, I can stop. Really. I just think you kinda deserve a nickname at this point, since I consider you a friend.” Shit, he felt awkward. Did Tsukki really not like the nickname at all?

“No, it’s…“ Tsukishima’s eyes blinked, a little more life returning to them. “It’s just that my best friend calls me that,” he muttered, rubbing at the back of his neck and avoiding eye contact as his lips curl into a disgusted sneer.

“Lemme take a guess,” Tetsurou grinned, though he was still worried. “You and your pal had a fight.”

Whether Tsukki’s cheeks were red from embarrassment or the cold, Tetsurou couldn’t tell, but he knew that he liked the faint pink that dusted Tsukki’s face.

God, he had it so bad.

“…Yes, we did,” Tsukki eventually admitted, shoulders slumping as he took a sip from his own cup of hot chocolate, flinching slightly at the heat.

“Blow it gently first, dork,” Tetsurou snickered, ignoring the rolling of honey-brown eyes he got in return.

Shit, he had too much fondness for this tall, not-really-angry dude.

“So,” he sighed as he leaned back, “you went out into the rain because of that?”

Tsukishima shrugged his shoulders. “He’s my roommate. I had to get out for a while.”

Tetsurou sighed and leaned across the table to ruffle at Tsukki’s hair with exasperated affection. “Don’t do that again, or you’ll get sick.”

“Stop acting high and mighty already,” Tsukishima grumbled, eyes narrowing into a sharp glare. At least he looked a little livelier now, Tetsurou noted, relief washing over him.

“I wasn’t, really,” he shrugged as he pulled his hand back. “Can’t I worry about you, Tsukki? Like I said, I consider you a friend by now.”

Something flashed in Tsukishima’s eyes then, something too quick for Tetsurou to discern. “…Fine,” Tsukishima grumbled against the edge of the plastic cup.

“Don’t frown so hard. You’ll get wrinkles, Tsukki.”

Tetsurou’s heart made inexplicable (not really, but Tetsurou could pretend to not understand the reason for a while) leap every time the nickname left his lips, and he grimaced at himself. “Uh, sorry. You probably don’t want to hear that name right now.”

Tsukishima’s response, despite being short as it was, took Tetsurou by surprise.

“It’s alright.”

Tsukishima was looking at him, something forlorn lingering in the hesitant downward curl of his lips. Tetsurou’s mouth went dry when Tsukishima didn’t break the eye contact.

“I,” Tsukishima looked slightly exasperated with himself when he continued, “feel… comfortable around you, I guess, so it’s… alright.”

Despite the clipped and broken-up response, Tetsurou could discern some emotion other than indifference coming up to Tsukki’s tone, and that was enough.

That was more than enough to make Tetsurou’s insides feel like they were about to melt like a fuzzy marshmallow into a cup of hot chocolate.

“Tsukki,” he smiled, warm and genuine, and his eyes crinkled at the corners. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”

This time, the flush on Tsukki’s cheeks was definitely not from the cold, but Tetsurou didn’t laugh at the sight.

Instead, he saved it into his memory and his heart.

.

.

.

“We’re both hopeless,” Yaku lamented over a couple of beers, just tipsy enough to get him open up about his Big Extremely Gay Crush on his coworker.

“Yeah,” Tetsurou agreed, sipping his own drink lazily as his mind replayed the way Tsukishima’s eyebrows would furrow when he was feeling irritated or thinking too hard. The thought made his chest tingle pleasantly. “Yeah, we are.”

“At least yours is probably not completely unrequited.”

“ _Probably_?”

“Kuroo, just don’t get your hopes up too much.”

“Since when have you been this negative?”

“You know exactly when.”

Tetsurou grimaced before draping an arm over the smaller man. “It’s going to be alright in the end, Yaku. Trust me. You’ll be grateful if you do.”

“You said that before the paintball incident too, Kuroo.”

“…Don’t. Mention. The Incident.”

.

.

.

“How do you do that?” Tetsurou demanded to know, pouting at the sight of a pale black-orange kitten nuzzling against Tsukishima’s hand for more petting. “Kenma’s never like that with me.”

“Must be the difference in character that’s appealing,” Tsukishima snickered as his fingers smoothly rubbed at Kenma’s head.

“Wow,” Tetsurou whined, “you’re so mean to me, Tsukki. I thought you liked me.”

“Sucks to be you.”

“ _Ow._ My poor, fragile heart.”

Tsukishima – Tsukki – shrugged. “Whatever.” Staring down at Kenma, who was smaller than others of his age, Tsukishima tilted his head thoughtfully. “Do you name them after real people?”

“My friends and coworkers mostly,” Tetsurou nodded as he tried to get Kenma’s interest to shift towards himself. “Kenma, for example, is my best friend. Has been since childhood – oh, come on, I have catnip for you, you little shit…”

“You seem to have a pretty large circle of acquaintances, then,” Tsukishima acknowledged and smile when Kenma gave a lick at his thumb.

“Guess so,” Tetsurou laughed. “I name cats only after my favorite people, though.”

“Lev?” Tsukishima raised a brow at him, clearly skeptical.

“Even Lev,” Tetsurou nodded. “He has this child-like charm that keeps people from hating his bluntness.”

“…I guess so.” Tsukishima’s brows knitted together and his fingers stilled on Kenma’s fur. “He confessed to me yesterday.”

Tetsurou’s chest clenched.

Shit.

Not that he expected Tsukishima to accept Lev’s feelings – he _was_ rather uptight and stiff with relationships, Tetsurou knew – but the worry gnawing at his gut wasn’t sated away with his own words alone.

Lev had one of his day offs, so he had no idea how the confession had gone, either.

“Should I be saying congrats now?” Tetsurou tried to laugh it off, but it came out as a really awkward wheezing sound instead. _That_ finally caught the cat’s attention.

“Meow?”

Tetsurou absentmindedly offered his finger to Kenma, who liked to nibble at it gently when the chance presented itself. This time, too.

Tsukishima frowned at him. “I don’t like him. That way, I mean,” he said with some resentment as though he had expected Tetsurou to understand at least that much without him having to explicitly say so. “He’s noisy.”

“ _I_ am noisy,” Tetsurou huffed, “according to you, anyway.”

“You both are. Annoying, too.”

“Again with harmful words, Tsukishima-kun,” Tetsurou cooed, a wide grin spreading over his face now that he knew Tsukki was still single and possibly ready to mingle.

Well, erm, probably not the last part.

Tetsurou promptly told himself to chill and be cool. What was it that he had heard someone tell someone to do…? Play hard to get?

 _Nah,_ Tetsurou thought and shook that from his mind. _Why would I miss Tsukki’s company for something so stupid?_

Speaking of the Blond Wonder, he was frowning.

“…Hm?” Tetsurou blinked.

“You didn’t use that godforsaken nickname.”

“Does _that_ bother you, Tsukishima-kun?”

“Now you’re just being an ass.”

“A little. Your expressions are pretty funny. Especially the way you wrinkle your nose when you’re absolutely disgusted with me.” Tetsurou flicked at Tsukishima’s nose with his free hand’s fingers, flinching when Kenma nipped at his other hand’s forefinger a bit too harshly.

“Why do I even bother with you?” Tsukishima wondered, shaking his head.

“Because I’m the road to kitten heaven?” Tetsurou suggested, though he knew their meetings had ceased to center around the sheltered animals some time ago already. “The protector of unappreciated beings, cat and humanlike?”

“What are you on about?” Tsukishima tried not to laugh. He tried. Hard, even, but there was no resisting Tetsurou’s charms.

 _Maybe I wanna protect you from whatever you’re afraid of_ , Tetsurou thought as he withdrew his finger from Kenma’s mouth and opted to rub the cat’s tummy this time. Kenma purred in appreciated, which only made Tetsurou’s smile widen.

_Maybe I just— Oh, there’s no maybe there at all._

There hadn’t been any maybies about it for a while.

.

.

.

A new kitten came in soon after Tsukishima ( _Kei_ , Tetsurou now knew, and he grinned stupidly at the fact that he knew Tsukki’s first name) had left when he was done playing with Kenma and Lev.

This kitten was a pretty one with abnormal, pale yellow fur that made Tetsurou’s chest tighten – he was reminded of Tsukki so much.

Even more so when the kitten sniffed his majestic nose at him in what Tetsurou could only describe as disapproval as he placed the kitten Tsukki into his new living place for the time being.

“I’m naming him Tsukki,” Tetsurou grinned at Kai, who too had been on the receiving end of his lovesick rants on occasion.

“You’re so whipped, and you’re not even dating him.”

“In time, Kai, in time…”

.

.

.

Kei stared at the feline in utter disbelief before lifting his gaze to meet Tetsurou’s.

“You named a cat after _me_.”

“Yeah.”

“He also happens to be blind.”

“Yeah, but I had decided on the name before I realized—“

“ _WHY._ ”

“Don’t get me mad, Tsukki, okay—he’s just so adorable that I wanted to name him after my most favorite person…”

Tsukishima’s gaze had slid to his cat version before the last words, but now the sharp eyes were back on Tetsurou’s face, narrow with even greater disbelief. “What.”

“Have I rendered you so utterly speechless that you can only manage one-word replies now, Tsukki?” Tetsurou laughed warmly, reaching over to pet the cat behind the ears. “I’ll say it again – you’re my favorite person, Tsukishima Kei.”

Tsukishima’s – no, _Kei’s_ – face was a sight to witness in all of its redness and flustered glory.

“Stop messing with me,” Kei grumbled out eventually, but he didn’t storm out of the animal shelter like Tetsurou had almost expected him to. “You’re an asshole.”

“I guess so,” Tetsurou chuckled, but his heart was stung. “I’m not lying, though.”

.

.

.

_Stop messing with me._

Kei’s words kept repeating themselves in Tetsurou’s mind at random times: at work, at his apartment, at breakfast, at midnight.

Tetsurou tried to wrap his mind around the fact that Kei thought he was messing with him by calling Kei his favorite.

 _He’s got a bad self-esteem,_ Tetsurou had guessed that from some of their earlier talks regarding Kei and Yamaguchi’s friendship.

 _“He’s amazing for putting up with my moods,”_ had slipped from Kei’s mouth at least once, and Tetsurou had taken notice of it as well as the somewhat darker expression that had crossed Kei’s face at that time.

“I’m not messing with you,” Tetsurou muttered into his pillow as he tried to sleep and not think about a blond-haired angel he had fallen for. It had happened fast; it was more like a crash-landing than an actual fall.

Words like “I love you” didn’t exactly fit in what he felt just yet, but… he really, really wanted to—

.

.

.

“I really, really want to kiss his adorable face,” Tetsurou moaned pitifully between mouthfuls of pizza, most of which went to his mouth rather than Kenma’s.

“You may have mentioned that before,” Kenma muttered as his fingers typed what Tetsurou assumed to be a text message for Kenma’s favorite shorty. “Kuro, I don’t think you realize just how little I care.”

“Harsh.” Tetsurou sighed as he nudged at the melted cheese back onto the slice. “Falling for Hinata hasn’t made you any softer.”

“I am soft. You just need the harsh truth sometimes, Kuro.” Kenma looked up at Tetsurou, a small frown between his eyebrows. “You said his name was Tsukishima?”

Tetsurou blinked. “Yeah?”

“Tsukishima Kei?”

“Yeah? What about it?”

Kenma blinked, turning his eyes back to his smartphone. “The world’s a small place. Shouyou actually knows the guy.”

Tetsurou leaped over to Kenma’s bed, seating himself beside his friend and peeking at the phone screen. “Does your lovely boyfriend know where Tsukki lives, by any chance?”

The look Kenma gave him was mostly disgusted and disappointed. “That’s creepy, Kuro.”

“Or a phone number,” Tetsurou relented, grinning sheepishly. “Kei--- er, Tsukki—hasn’t been around lately, so I just… wanna see how he’s doing.” He was a little concerned, to be honest; even despite being a busy university student, Kei always made a point to visit the shelter at least once a week.

Had the naming-the-kitten-after-Tsukki incident freaked him out that much?

Tetsurou sighed at the thought.

Kenma shrugged. “If you say so.”

“So…?”

“No, I don’t have Tsukishima’s number.”

Tetsurou groaned, heart sinking in disappointment.

“But I do know where he lives.”

.

.

.

Tetsurou had so many reasons to be thankful for Kenma’s existence, but this one might take the cake for the time being – especially if he managed to do what he had set out to do after all this time.

The apartment complex Kei lived in wasn’t anything special, but student housing generally never was; Tetsurou would know, still living in one himself despite not currently attending any courses.

“Tsukishima and… Yamaguchi,” he read the nameplates out loud, breathing out a sigh of relief. Kenma had mentioned someone named Yamaguchi before – something about him being good at making cupcakes.

 _Maybe I should have thought this through,_ Tetsurou thought to himself as rang the doorbell, the back of his neck sweaty from jogging half of the walk he had taken there. _But it’s not like anything’s going to change if I don’t ask him what’s up._

He _should_ have bought some flowers with him, though – that would make his inevitable confession a little more convincing. And he’d have gotten to show off his romantic side, too.

Kei probably wouldn’t have appreciated it much at first, though.

The door opened, and Tetsurou’s face lit up at the sound of Kei’s familiar grumbling voice just before.

“Ugh, just stay still for a bit, Kuro,” Kei grumbled before his eyes glanced up. “…..Fuck.”

Tetsurou stared. “Did you just—“

“Bye,” Kei began, his face paling and reddening at the same time.

“Don’t close the door,” Tetsurou pleaded just as Kei had begun to close it. “I really need to talk with you, Kei.”

A soft mewling sound from Kei’s hand attracted Tetsurou’s attention, and… _oh._

“Kuro, shush,” Kei muttered, his face turning even redder as he balanced the black-furred kitten in his hands, rubbing at the furry neck gingerly. Then, without looking at Tetsurou, Kei stepped back. “Come in before he runs off my hands,” he muttered, turning his back on Tetsurou.

“I can’t believe this,” Tetsurou commented once he had closed the door behind him and taken off his shoes. “How did you know my nickname?”

“What?” Kei didn’t look at Tetsurou in the face as he sat on the small coach in the middle of the living room, the hands that held the black kitten trembling ever so slightly.

“Kuro. It’s a nickname Kenma gave me. Remember, the childhood friend?” Tetsurou grinned as he plopped himself down next to Kei, whose posture stiffened enough for Tetsurou to notice and frown at it. “Apparently you know Kenma, since he’s what’s-his-name’s boyfriend… Hinata’s?”

“I guess,” Kei shrugged. “I thought that might be the case, but I never asked him or you… and I didn’t exactly know that was your nickname.”

“Hm?”

“I just named him like that, because naming him ‘Kuroo’ outright would have been incredibly stupid,” Kei muttered, exasperated and tense when Tetsurou’s hand patted at his knee comfortingly. Kei didn’t push him away, though.

“But you _did_ name him after me?” There was no covering up the shit-eating smirk that spread over his face, and Kei flicked at Tetsurou’s wrist irritably while letting Kuro, the kitten almost as cute as Tetsurou’s Tsukki, waddled on Kei’s lap, purring softly.

“…I did.”

“Aaaaawww.”

“S-shut up,” Kei muttered, finally casting a look at Tetsurou, and it was a scowl tinted with nervousness and irritation. “It’s—you named a cat after me too, so shut up.”

“Because he’s the prettiest, sweetest kitten I have ever met in my life,” Tetsurou hummed.

“…You named it after the wrong person, then,” Kei grumbled as his fingers scratched at the kitten’s back affectionately.

“You are the sweetest, prettiest person in my life,” Tetsurou said, lisp curling down as he grew more serious. “I was kinda, uh. Worried when you stopped showing up at the shelter. Asides from the cat, did I do—“

“I’ve been taking care of Kuro,” Kei interrupted, the nervousness in his warm brown eyes dying out a little. “Yamaguchi’s not around this week, so I only go to my classes and grocery shopping.”

“Huh,” Tetsurou blinked. “How long have you—“

“Two weeks now,” Kei shrugged, and Tetsurou smirked.

“So _you_ named a cat after _me_ way before I did that,” he couldn’t help laughing in amazement, the utter fondness he had for Kei expanding more and more inside him on that very moment. “God, I knew you were cute.”

“Ugh,” Kei rolled his eyes, but curled his fingers against Tetsurou’s when the other took his hand. “You’re an idiot.”

“I could be _your_ idiot, if you wanted me to,” Tetsurou breathed out without really thinking – as usual whenever he was with Kei.

Whose eyes stared at him, wide with surprise.

Tetsurou could feel his own face turning different shades of red. “I mean,” Tetsurou bit at his lower lip, eyelids half-down as he inspected Kei’s body language and eyes, “do you want to be boyfriends? I think we’ve already had a few dates, if any of those count, so.”

Kei’s expression shifted between mild joy, disbelief, and terrifying anxiety. The last one was what he tried to cover the most, but Tetsurou saw it flickering in the depths of honey-brown eyes. “…Tsukki? Kei?” he called gently, squeezing Kei’s cold fingers with his warmer ones.

“They count,” Kei muttered, squeezing Tetsurou’s hand back, and broke eye contact. “They always counted for me.” He trembled a little harder now, and Tetsurou hoped it was from happiness.

“Me too,” Tetsurou smiled, a pleased laughter threatening to bubble past his lips. “Every moment with you, Tsukki, every breath with you.”

“Oh my god,” Kei choked. “You _are_ sappy as fuck.”

“You like that about me, though,” Tetsurou observed the redness of Kei’s ear, grinning as he reached to pet the kitten that had curled to sleep on Kei’s knees. “So, should I take that as a ‘yes, I’ll be disgustingly lovely dovey boyfriends with you, Tetsurou’ or—“

“I don’t do relationships,” Kei cut him off.

“…Huh.” Disappointment washed over Tetsurou like a tidal wave. “I thought you liked me like I like you?”

“I do,” Kei looked at him in the eye, the turning of his head sharp and hurried, and Tetsurou now saw the torn feelings on Kei’s face: in his eyes, but also in the stiff downwards curve of his lips, and the furrow between his brows. “But I fuck things up, Kuroo. I don’t want to fuck us up with my issues.”

“Hey, hey,” Tetsurou smiled gently, “having issues is a very human thing. Everyone has those.” He rubbed his thumb across the top of Kei’s hand, gentle and loving with the touch. “Tell me about it?” he suggested when Kei remained silent.

“I’m an asshole.”

“Yeah, well, according to you, so am I. Nothing new.”

“I’m _mean_. You’re _not._ ”

Tetsurou laughed and lifted Kei’s hand up, leaning down to press his forehead against Kei’s knuckles. He’d have kissed it, but… well. Gotta pretend to be cool.

“You’re not, though?” Tetsurou muttered, smiling when he heard Kei’s breath stuttering, even if only for a moment. “You really aren’t.”

“I have anxiety.”

Tetsurou blinked, lifting his head up slightly. “I’d say you don’t seem like the type to suffer from anxiety, but I think I have seen you like that before, so… no comment.”

Kei looked away, his unease dripping into the atmosphere between them. “I get… really nasty when I get like that, so I try not to have relationships. Since those would end up badly anyway, when my significant other realizes that they can’t cure it just by cradling my head and offering cheesy words as comfort.”

Tetsurou leaned down to brush his lips against Kei’s knuckles this time, humming a tune from one of Kenma’s games. “But you still want to be with me, don’t you, Tsukki?”

“So much that I feel like I’m choking,” Kei admitted, voice quiet and strangled from honesty and the emotions he tried to battle away. That was what Tetsurou assumed, anyway. “Kuroo-san—“

“I like it when you’re honest, you know,” Tetsurou sighed, peppering kisses over the top of Kei’s hand before pulling away to look at Kei’s flustered, but still somewhat withdrawn, expression. “It makes me happy that this isn’t as one-sided as I was afraid it would be. Like how one-sided Yaku thinks his feelings for Lev are.”

Kei’s hand trembled beneath Tetsurou’s lips. “Wait, Yaku-san still thinks—“

“That it’s completely one-sided?” Tetsurou grinned as he straightened himself and turned Kei’s palm to his lips this time. “It’s completely ridiculous, I know.”

“Oh, my god,” Kei snickered, the sound tired and not at all like his usual cute laugh, but at least he wasn’t as tightly wound-up as before. “They’re so _slow_.”

“Truly,” Tetsurou smirked. “Say, how long must I woo you before you agree to be boyfriends with me for real? I’m not gonna give you up, since you said you want me.”

“I didn’t say it like that,” Kei denied, his harsh tone startled Kuro the kitten’s sleep a little bit.

“Tsukkiiiiii…”

“God. Fine. I’ll be your boyfriend, just…” Kei sighed, looking a little helpless as his brows knitted together. “Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Don’t worry,” Tetsurou grinned and kissed Kei’s palm again. “I don’t intend to run away and desert you. Ever.”

“...Kuroo-san, I’m—“

“Call me Tetsurou, Kei,” Tetsurou hummed, liking the way ‘Kei’ rolled past his lips.

“Tetsurou,” Kei sighed and this time he reached out to Tetsurou to run his unoccupied hand through Tetsurou’s black mess of hair, fingers rubbing at the scalp of his head in slow petting motions.

Tetsurou absolutely _melted._

"If you ever meme on me again, I'm finished with you," Kei added, humming as he scratched behind Tetsurou's ears. 

"Awww, Tsukki, don't be such a spoilsport..."

"You literally just signed yourself up for this."

"True. And I won't regret it, because this is you we're talking about.  _Us._ "

Kei's fingers halted in Tetsurou's hair as he tried not to flush. "You're... wow."

"You're pretty 'wow' too, Tsukki."

Kei couldn't bring himself to reply to that anymore, and simply shook his head in exasperation. 

**Author's Note:**

> i feel a lot better after finishing this  
> thank you so much for all your continued support (kudos, bookmarks, comments) <3
> 
> notes: this wasn't mentioned, but there's definitely an owl with a healing wing that's named after Bokuto.  
> there will be a levyaku centered sequel to this


End file.
